Why Pentecost Matters

Jun 12

Pentecost may not be celebrated like Christmas or Easter. However, it’s one of the most important events in Church history. In this blog, we share the importance of Pentecost and how it brought new firepower and understanding to believers. By receiving the Holy Spirit, learn how to align with God’s supernatural provision and strength.

In the context of the Christian calendar, Pentecost Sunday can be overshadowed by Easter and Christmas. Yet, the day is equally significant to Christians as the aforementioned holidays. For believers, Pentecost Sunday is the birthday of the Church.

Pentecost Sunday is the day we observe that the Holy Spirit came and filled the new temple, which wasn’t made with hands, but the temple that humans birthed into the Kingdom of God.

[READ MORE: Who is the Holy Spirit]

1) Prelude to Pentecost

Ten days before Pentecost, Jesus ascended into heaven to the right hand of God the Father. So, in light of that, I want you to ponder heaven and the throne of God.

We’ve all seen movies that depict what a throne looks like. You may have even seen the artifacts of a throne in a museum. However, those are earthly thrones. In Scripture, we see glimpses of God’s throne.

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.…” Revelation 4:4-6

The James Webb telescope has reclaimed our interest in space with new and exciting images of our galaxy. However, it has also reiterated the immensity of space as we see pictures from 12 billion lights a year away (which further compounds the enormity when we consider that light travels at 186,000 miles per second!).

Now, use that to wrap your head around the greatness of God. When Isaiah was in the presence of this majesty and creative force of God, he wrote the following:

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings, they covered their faces; with two, they covered their feet; and with two, they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.” Isaiah 6:1-4

We see the significance of that when God parted the Red Sea. Exodus 15:6 says, “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power – your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.” We also see in Psalm 89:13, “Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.”

When Christ offered a single sacrifice for our sins and ascended, He sat at the right hand of God. In Hebrews 10, he declares that in light of Christ seated upon that throne, He is above all earthly rule, power, and dominion.

So, what is the significance of Pentecost?

Jesus, when He walked the planet, repeatedly promised to send the Holy Spirit to the Church. This wasn’t something He said once or twice. No, this was a promise made many, many times.

With that consideration, ponder the wonder and significance of the Holy Spirit; Nothing is higher than God.

[READ MORE: Setting the Stage for the Holy Spirit]

2) Perceive (and Receive) the Power of Pentecost

I love coffee. That actually may be an understatement; I’m a bit of a coffee snob. I adore a good cup of coffee. But as much as I love coffee, I’m no fan of decaffeinated coffee. It looks, tastes, and smells like coffee, but it doesn’t do much for you. It won’t restart, pick up or keep you awake. It’s just there.

Spiritless Christianity is decaffeinated coffee. There is no power in a decaffeinated, spiritless Christianity.

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:1-2

When Jesus ascended to God’s right hand, and the Father fulfilled the promise of sending the Holy Spirit, Luke recorded the Day of Pentecost. They were all in one place, and the Holy Spirit suddenly came from heaven. When can see that Luke is struggling to find the proper metaphor to describe what happened. It can be challenging to describe the metaphysical.

“And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:3-4

Why fire? Why the metaphor of fire?

Fire illuminates; it brights light where there is darkness. The people see something not just with their physical eyes but with their hearts that they’ve never seen so clearly.

A New Firepower

The Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard said: “The Holy Spirit is the unexplored continent of the Christian faith.”

Let me try to explain that quote with another story.

Dwight L. Moody was a Sunday School worker in the 19th century who later became a great evangelist. When Moody was a Sunday School worker, he held a Sunday School rally in New York. Two women were sitting in the front row who were Free Methodists.

One of the women said to him, "We are praying for you."
He said, "Why are you praying for me?"
They said, "We are praying that you will be filled with the Holy Ghost."
He said, "I don't know what you are talking about, but if it's good, I want it."

According to his biography, a few days later, he was walking down Wall Street and was so overcome with the sense of God's presence that he stormed through the front door of a friend’s house, fell on his face, and God came upon him. He asked God to stay His hand because he said, "That's all I can take.”

When he got up and went to the scheduled rally that evening, he taught the message he had prepared, but the words had new power this time. Things began to happen differently from that moment on. We can have more power than we know, and God has it for us.

3) Plant Your Life in the Purpose of Pentecost

JESUS: “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:5

However, Jesus didn’t stop there. Three verses later, He says this:

JESUS: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Consider the correlation. The Spirit of God is upon you; you will receive power when it enters your life. We’re told we will be God’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. Whether we realize it or not, this is deeply related to the Day of Pentecost.

We saw where the Spirit gave them utterance to speaking in tongues. However, the real miracle of that is not speaking in tongues, but that people understood the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own language and heart language.

What is the Gospel?

Before we go any further, let’s establish what “gospel” means. The Gospel is, while you and I were sinners, we can’t measure up to the holiness of God, yet He loved us so much He sent His son, Jesus, the Messiah, to bear our sins on the cross. Jesus saves us from God’s judgment and damnation. That’s what the Bible calls the “good news,” when we turn to Jesus in faith and repentance, we will be saved and redeemed.

So, why was that necessary? Simply because God loves you, and there had to be justice in light of our fallenness and sinfulness. We are invited to be birthed into His kingdom, despite our perishing.

A Transformed Witness

In the last 2000 years of Christianity, the Western church has enjoyed a 300-year anomaly. Christians have been persecuted for following Jesus, except in the last 300 years, where it doesn’t necessarily cost you very much to follow Jesus. Perhaps it’s undergirded by a lack of dependence upon God for power or the Holy Spirit to equip the church as witnesses.

However, it’s no coincidence that the first thing that happens after people are filled with the Holy Spirit is the proclamation of the Gospel, resulting in 3,000 people being birthed into the Kingdom! And it is no coincidence that God begins this with a very small group of people.

I think about our fellow believers in parts of Asia who share the Gospel amid political, cultural, and even demonic opposition, yet they persevere. The only that is ability because there is greater power within them than any power outside them; it’s the power of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit.

So, yes, the Holy Spirit works in relationship to transform us into Christ-likeness, but let’s also note what it is ultimately unto.

“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46-48

The Holy Spirit transforms us into witnesses of Christ. You are a witness to the things Luke describes in the aforementioned passage. [READ MORE: What is the Church’s Global Responsibility?]

“When we deliberately choose to obey God, He will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power.”

— Oswald Chambers

Now, I’ve only pastored three churches, but one thing I’ve noticed across the board is when churches align with God, and what He reveals in Scripture, God gives the supernatural power of provision to fulfill what He has called us to.

Believers, don’t lose the light of the ultimate purpose of what the Holy Spirit dwelling in you is unto. That dwelling empowers you to do what you cannot do in your own strength. Scripture reminds us that we are not in our natural state here on Earth. We’re to be in communion with God, so we’re aliens here. But throughout the Holy Spirit, He is with us. He has us in His hand, and He empowers us.

TL;DR

Pentecost Sunday is significant because it marks the birth of the Church and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit empowers believers and brings power and vitality to their faith.
A spiritless faith is compared to decaffeinated coffee, lacking in power and effectiveness.
The Holy Spirit enables believers to be witnesses of Christ and proclaim the Gospel.
The ultimate purpose of the Holy Spirit's presence is to empower believers to fulfill God's calling and do what they cannot do on their own.